.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

The week had moved very slowly, and yet somehow in a blur.

It was Friday now, and the sky was covered in gray clouds. The cold air clung against Charlotte's cheeks as she crossed the parking lot toward the cafeteria.

Edward Cullen hadn't been at school since the first of school, Monday.

Not Tuesday. Not Wednesday. Not Thursday.

Just Monday. Charlotte hated thinking about their shared Biology class. Where he sat as far away from her as possible, and then vanish like he'd never existed.

Charlotte had noticed his absence, of course. It was hard not to. Every time she walked into that classroom and saw the empty chair beside her, something inside her tightened. But she told herself it didn't matter. It wasn't her problem. She didn't even know him.

So she ignored it. Or tried to.

She didn't even think about asking Alice, Emmett, Jasper or Rosalie, since they were all still here, beautiful and distant as ever, moving through the halls like something out of a dream. It would have been odd and she didn't know the guy. Lottie didn't understand why she cared so much.

She told herself multiple times, they were just people. Strange, yes, but people.

And if a small, stubborn part of her wondered why Edward had disappeared... she shoved it down. Hard.

By the time Charlotte slid her tray onto the lunch table, her smile felt easy again. Real. Bella was already there with Angela, Mike, Jessica, and Tyler, their voices tangling in conversation.

"Finally!" Jessica exclaimed as Charlotte sat down, her hair bouncing as she leaned forward. "We were just talking about this weekend."

Charlotte raised a brow, spearing a piece of lettuce from her salad. "What about it?"

"La Push," Mike announced with a grin, as if the two words held all the answers in the world. "We're going down to the beach on Saturday. You're coming."

Charlotte laughed lightly, shaking her head. "I can't. I have ballet."

The reaction was instant... collective groans from every corner of the table.

"Oh, come on," Jessica whined dramatically, flopping back in her seat like Charlotte had just announced the death of fun. "You always have ballet."

"Yeah," Tyler chimed in, shooting her a mock-accusing look. "Do you ever do anything else?"

Charlotte smiled, unbothered. "Not really."

Angela gave her an encouraging nudge. "One day won't kill you, Lottie. You never come with us to La Push. Ever."

"That's because I actually like having working feet," Charlotte teased, taking a sip of her water. "If I skip class, Amanda will murder me."

Jessica pouted, clasping her hands like she was praying to the gods of friendship. "Please, please, please come. You're my best friend, and I can't survive a whole day listening to Mike and Tyler argue about who's better at surfing."

"Hey!" Mike protested, but Jessica ignored him completely, her eyes locked on Charlotte.

"Yeah, come on, Lottie," Tyler added, leaning across the table. "It's the beach. Bonfire. Food. Actual human fun. You remember fun, right?"

Charlotte sighed, laughing under her breath as they all joined in. Angela with her soft smile, Bella with her quiet but firm "You should come," even Mike with an exaggerated pleading look.

"Wow," Charlotte said finally, setting her fork down and raising her hands in mock surrender. "Peer pressure at its finest."

"So... that's a yes?" Jessica asked hopefully, leaning forward like a cat about to pounce.

Charlotte hesitated for one last dramatic beat, then rolled her eyes with a smile. "Fine. Missing one day won't kill me."

The cheer that erupted from the table made half the cafeteria turn their heads. Jessica clapped like a five-year-old on Christmas morning, Angela grinned, and Tyler fist-pumped the air like they'd just won a championship.

"Finally!" Jessica crowed, throwing her arms around Charlotte in an overly enthusiastic hug. "Best. Day. Ever."

"Don't make me regret this," Charlotte said, laughing as she pried Jessica off.

"You won't," Mike promised with a grin. "Tomorrow's gonna be epic."

Charlotte smiled, trying to match their excitement as the conversation flowed into who was driving and what snacks to bring. But somewhere beneath the laughter and the plans, a small, quiet thought lingered at the edge of her mind.

Edward Cullen hadn't been here all week.

And if she was being honest with herself, part of her had hoped... just a little... that he'd show up for class.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Across the room, at the farthest corner of the cafeteria where no one ever dared to intrude, Alice Cullen sat at her usual spot with her family. Her untouched tray sat before her like a prop, a colorful illusion for human eyes, but she didn't spare it a glance.

Her golden gaze flickered instead toward the table near the windows, where Charlotte Sinclair sat laughing with her friends.

She tilted her head slightly, watching as Charlotte tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her smile bright.

"You're doing it again," Rosalie said sharply.

Alice blinked and turned, meeting her eyes directly. Rosalie's expression was carved from ice, her jaw tight, every inch of her posture radiating irritation.

"I'm not doing anything," Alice replied lightly, though the faintest smile curved her lips.

Rosalie's eyes narrowed. "You're staring at her."

Alice's brows lifted innocently. "I'm just looking."

"You're not 'just looking,'" Rosalie snapped, her voice dropping to a whisper sharp enough to cut glass. "She's Edward's blood singer, Alice. You know that. And he's not here, which means he's probably not coming back and frankly, I don't blame him. He nearly ruined everything over some... blonde human."

Her tone dripped disdain on the last two words, like Charlotte Sinclair was a splinter she wanted out.

Alice's gaze softened, but her voice stayed calm. "He didn't ruin anything, Rose."

Rosalie's perfect mouth tightened, her eyes flashing. "Not for lack of trying."

Emmett sighed, leaning back in his chair with a grunt. "Come on, Rose. Cut him some slack. He walked away. That counts for something."

Rosalie shot him a glare sharp. "Don't defend him, he was careless and reckless."

Emmett's grin was slow, easy, like he was amused more than chastised. "Please. You forget who you're talking to."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Oh, we know," she said, her voice dry as she turned her gaze back to Emmett.

Emmett smirked wider. "Exactly. And I have to give Edward some credit. He was strong because it was bad for me. Both times." He shrugged one broad shoulder, like discussing blood singers in a crowded cafeteria was no more serious than picking a movie. "And Edward didn't snap and drain her dry. That's more control than I had."

Jasper, silent until now, let out a low hum, his expression unreadable. "Barely," he murmured, his drawl curling through the space between them. His golden eyes flicked toward Charlotte's table, then back to Emmett. "You couldn't feel it, Em. His control was hanging by threads. Thin ones."

Emmett's grin faded slightly, but Jasper kept speaking, his voice cool, even. "But it's nice to know his control is better than yours... since you killed not one but two of your blood singers... the second you caught their scent."

Emmett stiffened for a fraction of a second before rolling his eyes and flashing a grin that didn't quite reach them. "Touché, Major," he said lightly, though the edge in his jaw betrayed him.

Alice broke in before Rosalie could add fuel to the fire. "It doesn't matter," she said softly, her tone gentle but firm. "Edward made his choice. He went to Alaska to stay with Tanya and the others. He just... needs time and space."

Rosalie's lip curled. "Time? Space? He needed to leave before he slaughtered half the school because some delicate little human made his throat itch."

Alice took another look at Charlotte, the girl from her visions.

Rosalie leaned back, folding her arms tight. "She's a liability."

Alice didn't argue.. not out loud. But in her mind, flashes appeared... in small fragments. Charlotte's laugh against a backdrop of forest green. Edward's face soft in her presence. His hand touching her cheek.

Alice let the visions settle into a secret as she said, "The only one who can decide what happens next is Edward."

Jasper tilted his head, his sharp gaze catching hers. "And what happens if he decides to come back?"

Alice smiled faintly, her voice almost too soft to hear over the cafeteria noise. "Then things changes."

Across the room, Charlotte laughed at something Jessica said, her eyes bright, oblivious to the weight of every glance aimed her way.

And for the first time all week, Alice let herself wonder if her brother was really strong enough to stay away.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

The snow stretched endlessly in every direction and Edward Cullen sat motionless on it. He rested his elbows on his knees, hands clasped loosely, eyes tracing the horizon without really seeing it.

It had been five days since he left Forks. Five days since he'd walked out of that cramped biology classroom, and made the decision to run before instinct took over reason.

So here he was, halfway across the continent, sitting in the frozen silence of Alaska and still... he could feel her.

Charlotte Sinclair.

The name drifted through his mind like a whisper, soft but unshakable. He knew so little about her, nothing that really mattered. And yet... he also knew too much.

The first day he'd walked into Forks High, her name had already been echoing through the thoughts of half the student body.

He'd pieced together fragments before he even saw her face. Just saw images painted by adolescent minds, colored by envy and fascination.

She's gorgeous. Everyone knows it.

She's so fake, can't believe people haven't realized that.

Charlotte Sinclair is the sweetest. Always so nice to everyone.

Why does she have to be so perfect? Ugh.

If she says no to Homecoming, I'm asking Bella instead.

I deserve to be the lead in the winter showcase, but of course Amanda is going to give it to her. Like always.

Shallow thoughts. Predictable. But they'd hooked something in him... some reluctant curiosity about the girl who seemed to orbit the center of so many minds.

And then... he'd seen her.

Edward exhaled slowly, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes like he could erase the memory. It didn't work.

Her face was carved into the inside of his skull. Specifically, the shape of her smile, her soft voice when she'd introduced herself. Charlotte. But you can call me Lottie.

He'd wanted to call her that. He still did. But it wasn't her name, her voice, her laugh that haunted him. It was her scent.

The venom burned at the back of his throat even now, a reminder that no matter how far he ran, she was somehow engraved in his bones. His blood singer. His first blood singer.

Edward let in a breath he didn't need, just trying to force the memories back. In a way, to build walls between himself and the fragile, human girl who had nearly shattered his control.

It should have been simple. Leave. Stay away. Protect her. Protect his family.

But every attempt to bury her only uncovered more questions.

He'd learned scraps about her through other people's minds. Charlotte Sinclair, only child of Mia and Zachary Sinclair. Her father was Chief Swan's closest deputy. Her mother, a nurse at Forks Hospital (who worked with Carlisle). She's Sixteen years old, turning 17. Popular but not cruel. Kind, if the thoughts were to be believed. And a dancer. A ballerina, in fact... allegedly one of the best, if the admiration of her peers was accurate.

Those details should have made her easier to forget. Reduced her to something ordinary. But instead, they sharpened his fascination more.

A ballerina. He could almost imagine her, spinning in some mirrored studio.

You can't think about her. She's a human girl. Nothing more. You can't—

The snow shifted softly behind him, but Edward didn't move. He didn't need to. He already knew who it was.

"Tanya," he murmured, his voice quiet.

A figure sank gracefully into the snow beside him. Tanya's smile was soft and welcoming.

"I thought I'd find you out here," she said, her voice like warm honey against the cold. "You've barely spoken since you arrived."

Edward managed a faint smile, polite but distant. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Her gaze lingered on him, bright with something unspoken... something Edward had recognized long ago and never encouraged. Tanya was a friend. A loyal one. But she wanted more. And he could never give her that.

"What happened, Edward?" she asked after a moment, her tone with curiosity. "You left so suddenly. Carlisle said it was... difficult? A move has never been difficult for you."

Edward let the silence stretch before answering. His eyes stayed on the snow.

"I met someone," he said finally, the words tasting strange on his tongue. "A human. Her scent..." His jaw tightened. "It was... too much."

Tanya's brows lifted slightly, though her expression didn't falter. "A blood singer," she guessed softly.

Edward nodded his head once.

Her golden eyes warmed with understanding... though a flicker of something else passed through them too. Sympathy. Disappointment. Both brief, and hidden. Well, hidden as best she could since Edward was a mind reader.

"You did the right thing, coming here," Tanya said gently, her hand brushing against the snow between them. "Distance helps. It always does."

Edward almost smiled at that, a bitter, humorless smile. "You sound so certain."

"I've had a very long time to learn," she replied, her smile faint but sure. Then, softer: "But running won't make it disappear, Edward. You know that."

He closed his eyes, letting her words sink in. "If I go back..." His voice frayed at the edges. "If I see her again..."

"You won't hurt her," Tanya said, firm now, conviction threading her tone. "You've fought harder battles than this. You're stronger than you think."

Edward shook his head, a low breath escaping. "You didn't hear what went through my mind that day. What I almost—"

"But you didn't." Tanya's voice cut through his words. "You don't understand how impressing that is, I don't think I've ever met someone who didn't kill their blood singer."

She looked at him, "That's why I believe you won't hurt her. The hardest part is over... everything else will still be hard but if you ignore her and you should be fine."

He didn't answer. For a long time, neither of them spoke.

Finally, Tanya shifted, her eyes catching his with gentle certainty. "You belong with your family, Edward. Not hiding in the snow. Go back. Face it."

Edward stared at her, the weight of her words settling in his chest.

He wanted to say no. He wanted to tell her she didn't understand. That one breath of her scent and hunger took over.

But Tanya was right.

If he stayed here, he'd never forgive himself. He knew how much his family liked being in Forks and if he decided to leave permanently, Edward knew the others would follow him.

Edward turned to face Tanya, "You're right. Thank you Tanya."

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

NOTES: I added a bit of Midnight sun in this! Any thoughts on this?

Thank you for reading! Don't forgot to vote, comment and follow me to stay updated!